29. Vince
Vince
“My first great grandchild is dead.” Damius looked at Marcel. “An unforgiveable loss.”
For the first time since we were teenagers, I felt sorry for Marcel. Emmie and him had been trying for years to get pregnant. I respected all my cousins wives. But she was always the sweetest.
Seeing Marcel, this upset, got under my skin. We might fight behind closed doors, but when it came to the rest of the world. I’d stand in front of a bullet for him, which technically, I had done. Twice.
“I have requested that the family is to come here, face the consequences directly.” Damius cleared his throat and looked down at the ground. “We shall handle this as a family.” He gripped Marcel's shoulder.
The table behind Damius was setup with torture devices.
It was going to be a long fucking night.
The doors opened.
Madeline. Why was she here?
Looking from her to her uncles and cousins.
Her family is responsible. Fuck.
The satisfaction sparked in Damius’s eyes as he watched my reaction.
Nikolai stepped to my side; I could feel his hand ready to grab me. I wasn’t fucking stupid.
The tightness in my chest, as the formal introductions, finally ended.
“A loss of my first great grandchild, that was named in, my Honor.” Damius stepped forward. “In some ways, an extension of myself was killed by incompetency.”
He slowly walked in front of them, only to tap his watch twice in front of Nathaniel, marking him for execution.
But Madeline was standing right beside him.
Marcel shifted. Ready. Had he read the mark as her cousin, or her? That twitch in his jaw.
Fuck it .
Damius stepped out of the way, and I moved forward. Trying to make it as quick as possible, but Madeline still reached for his hand as I pulled the trigger.
His body hit the ground. Followed by a long silence.
“Zeke, you are lucky to have another son.” Damius stood in front of him.
I held my gun tighter, stopping myself from wiping his blood off her face.
“Vincent,”
What the fuck now? I dragged my eyes off Madeline. To look at Damius.
I hadn’t seen that look since I was a teenager. The look he used to get when he had power over me.
“In honor of your cousin's first son. Marco shall be reminded of his responsibility to control his family.”
Marco knew exactly what Damius meant, rolling up his sleeve.
First, I executed her favorite cousin. Now I’m to remove her fathers hand.
This night would only end with her hating me.
I might as well get it the fuck over with. I reached for the blade off the table.
“A full removal, Vincent,” Damius stopped me, gesturing to the electric saw beside it. I should have known by the lineup.
He wanted her to be traumatized when she looked at me.
Cutting through the bones always took longer. I picked up the power saw. Nikolai moved to my side. He could hide it from her view, but she wasn’t deaf.
“Unfortunate circumstances to meet my soon to be granddaughter.”
My blood ran cold. All these years, I had kept him away from her. If he thought, I would let him rape and hurt her.
He had underestimated me.
That same sickening feeling runs through me, remembering his promise. What is mine. Would always be his.
For the first time in years that night and what he did to that woman replayed through my mind. Him ordering me to execute her was painless compared to what he did.
“Madeline, come here.” Damius tapped the table. “Let me see you.”
I cracked my neck.
Of all the ways I could die. Not once had I considered it to be at the hands of my cousins.
“What a beautiful little pet for my strongest crow.” He wiped the blood from her cheek, smearing it in her hair. “Oh, she is stunning. I can see why Vincent made such an effort to get you for his own.” he slowly turned to look at me, only then to drag a look at my cousins.
“Nikolai, step aside. Madeline will hold her father’s arm.” He took her hand, kissing the back of her palm. “Go to your fiancé’s side. Remind your father whose family you belong to.”
She would never look at me the same after this. His natural reaction would be to fight. She wouldn’t have the strength to hold him.
She stood beside me, her hand shaking as she held his wrist. Gently taking her hand, I moved it further up his arm, only to then cover her hand with mine.
A clean cut would heal better if he got the right care. As I cut through his flesh. She flinched, physically shaking, as he fought to get out of our grip.
Her hand was trapped under mine as I stopped him. The blood spraying across us, I tried to block it from her, but between the saw, him fighting and her shaking. I couldn’t stop the blood from getting her.
His screaming only stopped when he passed out. Sadly, for him, it wouldn’t be permanent. The pain would still be there in the morning.
Zeke and Felix carried Marco to the car.
Due to the disrespect. Damius ordered for the body to be tied to the back of their car and dragged home.
She stood beside me, watching Marcel tie the rope around her cousin’s neck, before securing his body to their car.
The longer I stared at the car, the more fear I had. What if she got in that car and I never saw her again?
“I’ll follow, do the honors of cutting him free for the widow.” Marcel pulled on the rope one more time, checking it was secure.
Zeke just stared at him. No emotion. No reaction.
I didn’t even blame my cousin. If it had been Madeline, and she was put in harm’s way. I’d do the same fucking thing. Though I would have made his death slower. I robbed Marcel of that. So, I knew this was his way of getting his revenge.
I gently touched her arm. She froze, but didn’t pull away. That was something.
“Madeli—"
“Don’t touch me.” she shoved my hand away and walked to the car.